This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0148607108325178v1 33/4/411    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Song, J. Articles by Jeschke, M. G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Song, J. Articles by Jeschke, M. G. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Seniors' Health Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Starvation-Induced Proximal Gut Mucosal Atrophy Diminished With Aging

¹ Shriners Hospitals for Children; University of Texas Medical Branch
² University of Texas Health Science Center

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: majeschk{at}utmb.edu.

	Abstract

Background: Starvation induces small bowel atrophy with increased intestinal epithelial apoptosis and decreased proliferation. The authors examined these parameters after starvation in aged animals. Methods: Sixty-four 6-week-old and 26-month-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to either an ad libitum fed or fasted group. The small bowel was harvested at 12, 48, and 72 hours following starvation. Proximal gut mucosal height was measured and epithelial cells counted. Apoptosis was identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Proliferation was determined by immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Comparison of fed vs fasted and adult vs old groups was done by one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s test and unpaired Student’s t test. Significance was accepted at P < .05. Results: Aged mice had higher proximal gut weights, mucosal heights, and cell numbers at baseline compared with the adult group (P < .05). The rate of apoptosis was lower in the aged (P < .05), but proliferation was not different between groups before starvation. After starvation, proximal gut wet weight decreased only in adult mice (P < .05). Gut mucosal height and mucosal cell number decreased more in adult than in aged mice (P < .05). This was related to decreased proliferation only in the adult group (P < .05). The fold of epithelial apoptosis that increased was higher in the aged group than in the adult group after starvation (P < .05). Conclusions: Gut mucosal kinetics change with age and have lower rates of apoptosis and greater mucosal mass; the character of starvation-induced atrophy is diminished with aging. (JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. XXXX; XX:xx-xx)

First published on January 6, 2009, doi:10.1177/0148607108325178

Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 2009;33:411.

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2009


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?